Post by itrainmonkeys on Apr 2, 2013 13:57:28 GMT -5

The biggest complaint I agree with is that it didn't feel like a season finale. It was solid but we were all gearing up/waiting for a big showdown. I loved the bit of action we did get (seeing Gov and crew being all confused at the missing prison group was fun/funny) and the strategy of the prison group was pretty great but they definitely ramped up expectations going into the finale. Seemed like there'd be a definite battle with both sides taking losses and firing on each other.

Looking forward to next season, though. I enjoyed 3 more than 2 and the new showrunner wrote the two best episodes this season so I hope that's a good sign.

Post by itrainmonkeys on Apr 2, 2013 16:26:31 GMT -5

[Warning: This story contains major spoilers from Sunday's Season 3 finale of The Walking Dead. Read at your own risk!]

The Walking Dead shook things up again on Sunday's Season 3 finale by killing off another main character — and proving once and for all that the AMC series is unafraid to ax anyone, no matter what happened in the comics.

In this instance, it was Andrea (Laurie Holden), who became a polarizing character in the third season when she began literally sleeping with the enemy in the form of The Governor (David Morrisey) the charismatic leader of the supposedly idyllic town of Woodbury. (Of course, Andrea learned the hard way that The Governor is actually a sadist who rules the town with an iron fist.) Still, killing off one of the few original characters who is still alive in the comics is sure to get Dead fans talking until the series returns in October. To find out why the writers decided to kill off Andrea, TVGuide.com turned to executive producer Robert Kirkman, who also dishes on what's in store for Season 4.

What was the catalyst behind killing Andrea, even though she is still around in the comics? Robert Kirkman: The unfortunate thing about the way these things work is that we're not really going to see the effects or the results of that death until we come back for Season 4. It's going to have very interesting effects on all of the characters, especially on Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and how he operates moving forward. [That's] going to be one of the big changes for next season. These decisions are never made lightly and that's actually something that caused quite a bit of debate in the room. It was a very difficult decision to come to, not only because she's a huge character in the comic book... but also Laurie Holden is a huge part of our show and is a very valued member of the cast. It was something that was very difficult to work out. In the end, we all came together and we decided that it benefited the show in very interesting story ways, so we decided to go with it.

Are you worried about alienating fans of the comics with such a big departure? Kirkman: No. I think fans of the comics recognize that this show is a different animal. There are big departures that have happened on the show before and it's the show's M.O. at this point. I think people are seeing that it doesn't really preclude other big storylines from the comic book when we put a death in the show. We are still very much following the path of the comic book and you'll see a lot of that in Season 4. There are going to be differences from time to time and some big differences. People know the comic still exists, and I want people to experience both and get a somewhat different experience. I think it's cool that there are differences that are going to make the show as dramatic, startling and unpredictable as the comic book was the first time you read it. That's really what we're going after.

Does Andrea's death essentially snap Rick out of his spiraling insanity? Kirkman: The visions are gone. This is a process that started with his interactions with Morgan (Lennie James) and really came to a head with the sacrifice that Andrea made and his decision to bring this group back and to open the door to these people of Woodbury. Rick's not necessarily getting over the death of his wife, but the fractured aspect of his indecision on how to move forward and what's best for these people, that part of his psyche has been repaired to a certain extent. While we'll never go back and see a Rick that's completely together, he's had some drastic changes made that will never be reversed. I think he's going to be a little bit more put together in Season 4.

How does the dynamic change now that the group has gotten even larger? Kirkman: I think it's going to change in some very cool ways. A large group brings with it a need for more resources, but also more assets within the group. They could also, theoretically, accomplish more. There's a lot to be done with these people in Season 4.

The Governor is returning next season. What role will he play and what was behind the decision to keep him alive? Kirkman: The decision to keep him alive was made before we cast him. The Governor was always going to be someone who was going to be around for more than one season. We knew going into it that he was going to survive Season 3. As far as what his role is exactly in Season 4, that will have to remain shrouded in mystery for the time being. But I will say it's going to be very different. We have The Governor, we have Rick, we have the prison. These are elements from Season 3, but everything is going to be radically changed and radically different in some very cool ways. I wouldn't expect the same conflict or the same stories coming into Season 4. Things are going to be evolving quite a bit between seasons.

What kind of threat will the group be facing next season?Kirkman: Walkers are definitely still going to be in the mix. This is a zombie show, so that's always going to be present. The honest truth is that this question is more than likely going to have to wait for a few months until we're more ready to talk about Season 4. But we advanced things in the third season to where humans were a more present threat than the zombies, and that may continue into Season 4.

Will the group still be residing at the prison next season? Kirkman: The world is definitely going to open up. We'll see a lot of new elements and a lot of new places. But the prison is still going to be present, but maybe not in the way people expect.

At the end of Season 2, we had every indication of what Season 3 was going to be about — Michonne (Danai Gurira) was being introduced and the prison would be a part of the series. But this year, we really didn't get many hints. Is there anything you can tease?Kirkman: There's some really, really cool and big stuff that people have been expecting, or that people have been anticipating from the comics, that will work into Season 4. To give a hint, I will say that we do have Tyreese (Chad Coleman) and Rick, who are now united, which is a big moment for the comic book fans. There's a lot of story that comes from those two guys being on the same side. We'll possibly see a bit of that in Season 4.

You've killed off two of your main female characters this season. Will you be adding new females next season to fill that void?Kirkman: We've seen Maggie (Lauren Cohan) take a more central role this season, and that will continue. Michonne is a huge character that's going to be a lot more active in Season 4. We've also got the new character of Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green), Tyreese's sister, that's already been introduced, so I don't think we're at a loss for female characters and there will definitely be more on top of that. This is a show where the cast is always going to be changing and evolving from season to season. I think next season will be no different than this one.

Can Michonne and Rick every truly trust each other? Kirkman: I think so. These are two characters that have a tremendously close relationship in the comic book series. After this finale, we're on the road towards building that in the show. I think we can expect these two characters to be working together a lot more in the future.

Now that Daryl (Norman Reedus) isn't technically the little brother anymore since Merle (Michael Rooker) died, how will he change next season?Kirkman: He's not going to be held back anymore by this notion of being a little brother. It's entirely possible that we may see Daryl emerge in [more of] a leadership role than he had this season. This is a character that is very capable and is an integral part of this group.

Carl (Chandler Riggs) killed an innocent child! He's definitely turning into a mini-Governor. What will we see for him next season? Kirkman: Rick's got his work cut out for him. He's aware of this and he sees what allowing his son to become a child solider has brought, which is a very big part of Season 4. Moving forward in the show, this is a guy who's working as hard as he can to maintain a life for this child. [In] the process of surviving... he's allowed his son to lose a pretty substantial piece of his humanity. It's now a question of: Is there going back? Is this now status quo? These are the things that a father will have to deal with.

How do you think the show will be different with Scott Gimple as showrunner?Kirkman: One of the things that we've been striving to do for Season 4, that Scott has really been pushing and that he's going to take charge of, is really just making sure that.... every character has big moments — to really amp up the character development. I think we have the action and fast-paced story line stuff locked and we did that really well in Season 3. But getting to know the characters more and teasing a little bit more emotion into the stories is what we're striving to do in Season 4.

With that said, is there a chance for lighter moments, like seeing Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Maggie's wedding? Kirkman: There's always a chance, but it's too early for me to be hinting at future story lines too much. We all recognize that it's important to have lighter moments in the show, and I think that Season 4 will definitely have a few of those. Not too many, but a few of those from time to time.

What did you think of The Walking Dead finale? Check out an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how the prison battle scene came together:

Post by itrainmonkeys on Apr 2, 2013 16:29:46 GMT -5

The Walking Dead‘s tense, brutal, gut-wrenching Season 3 finale is but a distant memory, and now series creator Robert Kirkman has some ‘splainin to do.

Why did Rick choose the prison over Woodbury as the gang’s home base? What was behind the decision to keep the beyond-redemption Governor around? Did viewer animosity towards Andrea contribute to the decision to whack her prematurely? And what was the deal with those damn pliers?!

Below, Kirkman answers all of those questions and offers a tantalizing sneak peek at the show’s fourth season (bowing in October).

TVLINE | Laurie Holden suggested it was somewhat of a last-minute decision to kill off Andrea. What led to the change in plans?

I wouldn’t say it was necessarily last minute. It wasn’t quite planned at the very beginning of the season. It came up in the development of the Woodbury story. There were a lot of different plans for the Andrea character, and as we started getting closer and closer to the last few episodes of the season, it started to become a little more clear the direction we wanted to go in. And the thing that would have the most impact on all of the characters was actually her death.

TVLINE | Did the fan backlash towards the character factor in at all?That was never anything that worked into the decision-making process. Fan backlash isn’t something we use to make decisions. The death of Andrea was already shot well before these last eight episodes aired. So it’s not really even possible to use fan reaction to guide story.

TVLINE | Were you surprised by the criticism directed at her? And, looking back, would you do anything differently?Looking back, there are probably a few things we could’ve done to stem that. It wasn’t our intention to have a small but vocal portion of the audience not really behind her. We really wanted to show this character as someone who was optimistic about the possibilities of Woodbury. In the end, it’s always a risk having the audience know something that the character doesn’t. But we felt it was important to show the optimism in her. To show, in a sense, how desperate she was to have something to hold on to and be optimistic about. Some audience members didn’t react favorably to that. I do think it was a misreading of the situation. I see a lot of people saying, “Why doesn’t she know the Governor is a bad guy?” We’re seeing a larger picture that the character is not seeing. And some audience members didn’t key into that as much as we would’ve liked them too.

TVLINE | Why did she spend so much time staring at Zombie Milton instead of picking up those damn pliers?[Laughs] You know, it was a struggle. A very tense situation. If you’ve never been straped to a chair watching someone die before you I don’t know that you can really judge how someone behaved. [Laughs]

TVLINE | Why did Rick bring the Woodbury residents to the prison instead of relocating the prison folks to Woodbury?The Governor is still out there. He’s already killed a great number of people from Woodbury. And I think they were able to repel him at the prison, so moving into Woodbury and setting up shop in his backyard – a place he’s very familiar with — would be very dangerous for Rick. They see the prison as something that is much more easily defended than Woodbury. They were able to get into Woodbury easily themselves. The Woodbury defenses are very effective against zombies, but not very effective against humans. They see it as much more of a defensible position.

TVLINE | Why keep the Governor around as a series regular next season?That question will be answered [in] Season 4. We always had a plan for this guy. We always knew that it was a bigger story than would fit into one season. There’s still a lot more to be done with this guy. We’ve known from the very first minute of Season 3 that we would be keeping the Governor around for a while.

TVLINE | Will the prison remain the primary set piece in Season 4?There’s always going to be new locations and new places to discover and explore. I don’t want to reveal too much; Season 4 is still five months away. But I will say that as we see at the end of Season 3 we’re definitely going to start Season 4 at the prison. We may be there the whole season and we may not be… But there are going to be some big differences from Season 3.

Post by memphis1979 on Apr 2, 2013 17:56:54 GMT -5

Definitely a divergence from the comic line. Sounds like season 4 will be season 3 redux. I have the feeling that the prison will be a main base of operation, with smaller cells going out for the growing need for supplies.

Post by jakicker on Apr 2, 2013 18:07:35 GMT -5

It makes sense that they would stay in the prison for at least a portion of Season 4. From a business standpoint, I imagine that they have a working lease of the properties that are used for the current sets. I also imagine they spent a decent amount of money building the prison from scratch, so they need to milk that investment for all that it is worth.

Similarly, they experienced increased viewership this season so they probably figure they should continue this successful structure.

I wish they would have killed half of the cast and started a fresh storyline for next season. I am not excited about the excess amounts of children and elderly folk that they will have to herd in Season 4.

Post by Roo'adelphia on Apr 2, 2013 18:45:19 GMT -5

It makes sense that they would stay in the prison for at least a portion of Season 4. From a business standpoint, I imagine that they have a working lease of the properties that are used for the current sets. I also imagine they spent a decent amount of money building the prison from scratch, so they need to milk that investment for all that it is worth.

Similarly, they experienced increased viewership this season so they probably figure they should continue this successful structure.

I wish they would have killed half of the cast and started a fresh storyline for next season. I am not excited about the excess amounts of children and elderly folk that they will have to herd in Season 4.

Makes sense. I see the exit from the prison being more about lack of resources now then demolition from Woodbury. Probably lose half of the newbies in transition I really just cant see that many characters having names let alone arcs.

Post by railroad436 on Apr 4, 2013 15:53:22 GMT -5

I really want this show to be good but it lacks character development, intriguing storylines, witty and smart dialogue, and too many wasted scenes and time. Most of the episodes in the second part of the season could have never happened and it would not have made a difference. All of the characters are one dimensional, the decisions made by characters are ridiculous at times, and the dialogue and interaction between characters just isnt interesting. The new showrunner has promise though, he wrote the best episode of the season so maybe it will improve.

The time at the prison in the comics was really well done and they pretty much abandoned all of it.

Post by ShortieSensei on Apr 4, 2013 16:01:42 GMT -5

I really want this show to be good but it lacks character development, intriguing storylines, witty and smart dialogue, and too many wasted scenes and time. Most of the episodes in the second part of the season could have never happened and it would not have made a difference. All of the characters are one dimensional, the decisions made by characters are ridiculous at times, and the dialogue and interaction between characters just isnt interesting. The new showrunner has promise though, he wrote the best episode of the season so maybe it will improve.

The time at the prison in the comics was really well done and they pretty much abandoned all of it.

Post by memphis1979 on Apr 4, 2013 19:08:34 GMT -5

I really want this show to be good but it lacks character development, intriguing storylines, witty and smart dialogue, and too many wasted scenes and time. Most of the episodes in the second part of the season could have never happened and it would not have made a difference. All of the characters are one dimensional, the decisions made by characters are ridiculous at times, and the dialogue and interaction between characters just isnt interesting. The new showrunner has promise though, he wrote the best episode of the season so maybe it will improve.

The time at the prison in the comics was really well done and they pretty much abandoned all of it.

Are you talking about the entire show or just season 3?

I would say just season three. At least with seasons one and two they were loose adaptations of the comic. The story line of this season finale is a complete abandonment of the awesome comic.

Now, it could be that the show will be awesome in its own universe, but only time will tell.

Post by Dan'ROO on Apr 4, 2013 23:14:45 GMT -5

Pretty sure Kirkman has said before and definitely in a recent interview that the TV show won't follow the comics exactly. It's two versions of a similar story but in different mediums. Plus this means that when he finishes the comics I can still read them and be surprised!

Post by railroad436 on Apr 16, 2013 13:36:03 GMT -5

I really want this show to be good but it lacks character development, intriguing storylines, witty and smart dialogue, and too many wasted scenes and time. Most of the episodes in the second part of the season could have never happened and it would not have made a difference. All of the characters are one dimensional, the decisions made by characters are ridiculous at times, and the dialogue and interaction between characters just isnt interesting. The new showrunner has promise though, he wrote the best episode of the season so maybe it will improve.

The time at the prison in the comics was really well done and they pretty much abandoned all of it.

Are you talking about the entire show or just season 3?

Some of the statements I made are about the show in general and some of them just about season 3. I think the show has lacked character development and smart dialogue throughout and it has gotten worse as the show has progressed. I think Clear was the best episode of this season because we actually saw some smart dialogue and character development even though only Carl, Rick, Michonne, and Morgan. It was the first episode that Michonne didnt anything other than scowl. The writer of that episode is taking over as showrunner so hopefully things improve going forward.

I dont expect the show and comic to be the same but the time at the prison in the comics was pretty damn intense and they could have at least taken some of those storylines and used them instead of having Rick go crazy and people just all over the place. The war between the two groups was not the biggest storyline in the comics from the prison.

Post by Dave Maynar on Jun 24, 2013 9:11:52 GMT -5

Why is Hershel more hateable than Glen and Maggie? Hershel isn't great but Glen/Maggie are both so annoying. Why is Don Draper on the bad and hateable side? Then all the GoT characters are a little wonky. Joffrey is off the charts bad hateable. Sansa can be grating but no way she is that bad.

So much of this I don't agree with.

I was thinking the same thing about Hershel. He provides a moral center for Rick, so I don't see how he is just half a step better than Ghost Lori.